American Airlines has taken measures to reduce its September system capacity, including at Philadelphia International Airport.
The airline told FOX Business on Friday that changes were made based on available resources to build an additional buffer into the remainder of its summer schedule and with the goal of moving customers to different flights.
The October schedule adjustments it made last week were similar to those made in recent months.
The airline said that it would still offer customers the largest network of any U.S. airline this fall, with an average of more than 5,400 peak daily departures.
The Philadelphia Business Journal reported earlier this week that more than 1,800 domestic American Airlines flights had been cut from the Philadelphia hub's September and October schedules, according to data from aviation analytics provider Cirium Inc.
The airline said the airline's cut in flights at the airport is the largest reduction at any airport nationwide.
American said that it was based on the 2019 flying schedule and not the current demand environment, which was the reason why it published flying at Philadelphia International Airport. It said that the daily average departures were consistent with flying throughout the last months, including 241 average daily departures in July, 228 in August, 213 in September and 224 in October.
While schedules are published more than 330 days out, adjustments are reportedly made closer based on customer demand.
Our operational performance from the fourth quarter and the results we have delivered in the first few weeks of July give us confidence moving forward. We aren't where we need to be. We still have a lot of flying ahead of us in the summer. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said during the company's most recent earnings call that we're investing in our operation to ensure we meet our reliability goals and deliver for our customers. As I said a minute ago, we're sizing the airline for the resources we have available and the operating conditions we're facing, and we'll make other changes as needed. Customers whose flights may have been changed as a result of these adjustments will be contacted directly with alternative travel options.
Those whose needs are not met by the changes can seek a full refund.